It has come to this. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul have made up their minds: we will lose the season if the owners try to force them to make any more concessions. They won’t mind the missed games; they’re refusing to budge anymore. Of course, they aren’t worried. Those stars will be fine either way. But what about everyone else? They’ve made the stance that they won’t go lower than the 53 percent (down from 57 percent in the last CBA) of the share on the basketball related income and that the owners need to come meet them. How much blame should David Stern get in this? Depends. While most contend he desperately wants to avoid any missed games, Stern also got into a shouting match with Wade during one of the meetings because of his bullying tactics and the way he was speaking to the players. Reportedly, Stern was talking down to many of the players in the room, and pointed directly at Wade multiple times. So Wade – taking that as a sign of disrespect – got into it with the commissioner. Of course, this isn’t the first time this sort of tussle has happened. Back in 1998 during the last lockout, Michael Jordan and Wizards owner Abe Pollin got into a shouting match that was much more heated than this one. But Wade’s outburst, and the presence of many of the NBA’s biggest stars, reportedly earned them a great deal of respect from the rest of the NBPA … Which owner is most firmly entrenched in getting what he wants? You wouldn’t believe this, but it’s Phoenix’ Robert Sarver. Remember? The penny-pincher who was the major reason behind the Nash/Amar’e/Matrix Phoenix teams never reaching their potential. He wants a hard cap and he wants it bad and reportedly said that his wife “had asked him to bring back the middle level exception in a designer bag” … Of course, it was still Derek Fisher who was the most vocal player during the meetings as well as the calming voice during the heated moments … After converging in New York all day on Friday, many of the stars weren’t around for yesterday’s meetings. They were all busy shutting the gym down in Chris Paul’s celebrity game, a game where the final score ended up 175-146. The Dwyane Wade/LeBron James team lost to a crew featuring Kevin Durant – who again went off for 48 points – and CP. Besides Wade (32 points) and James (30… and a couple of attempts at breaking rims), Rudy Gay went off for 38, a great sign for Memphis fans. John Wall dropped 34, and also had two of the sickest highlights we’ve ever seen. Seriously, these two dunks might be the two best highlights of the whole summer … It’s been a summer of repping your city for many of the league’s players, but one city we never seem to mention is Atlanta. The ATL has produced some serious talent, and it now seems like they want to put together a team to take on all challengers. Some of the names who are said to be eligible include Josh Smith, Dwight Howard, Jarrett Jack, Anthony Morrow, Lou Williams, J.J. Hickson and Derrick Favors. Their backcourt might be average on the streetball circuit, but imagine a frontline of Dwight, Smith & Hickson, with Favors on the squad as well? No one would score on them … We’ve had some great basketball prodigies over the years. But check out this 11-year-old football player who’s so good that they’ve actually implemented a rule to stop the kid from scoring touchdowns … Magic Johnson and Best Buy will host a NBA 2K12 launch event tomorrow night at the West L.A. Best Buy from 8 p.m. to midnight PST time. There, you’ll have the chance to meet Magic and the first 200 fans will get autographs from the Laker legend and a few of the Laker Girls who will be in attendance. There will also be opportunities to get involved in gameplay tournaments and have the chance to get your photo put on the cover of the game … And the schedule for the 2011 2K Sports Classic has been finalized on November 17-18 in Madison Square Garden. The headline semifinal games on the 17th will be Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State and then St. John’s vs. Arizona. Both games will be televised on ESPN2. The finals will be aired the following day at 4:30 p.m. … We’re out like Sarver.

Join The Discussion

I’m gonna need to see the context of what happened between Wade and Stern before I decide who the cock is.

The charity games are cool. Kids get to see their guys dunk etc… But it’s enough already.

So 53 is the magic number? What do you want to bet that it goes lower than that? $10?

10.02.11 at 3:13 am

Promoman

The flak about Demias Jemison and the touchdown ban goes hand in hand with basketball all right. Just look at most sub 6 footers with the belief that their job is to dribble and score, never mind how absolutely fucking sorry and basketball stupid they are.

10.02.11 at 3:37 am

braindead

atl gets no summer circuit love.
id go broke to see that lbj/paul/melo/kd + in Georgia

10.02.11 at 4:18 am

Stephen Jackson

No matter what Stern said or did, you just don’t show up to the negociation table for the 1st time of the year, shoot and threaten to live. You’ll just look desesperate and will be playing Stern’s game. The owners must be laughing at the players right now.

10.02.11 at 4:21 am

beiber newz

girls i do adore………..

some fine black booty

me and yo momma!!

tattoo on the booty chick

10.02.11 at 4:26 am

beiber newz

hey big island…word on the street is that stern pointed his finger at wade in anger and wade got furious and yelled at him NOT to point his finger at him and said that ‘i’m not your child!!’.

10.02.11 at 4:56 am

Trey Bing Bay

They need to do what the Catholics do in Rome when choosing a new Pope. Stick everyone in a room and don’t let anybody leave until an agreement has been made. That would end the Lockout in about a day.

10.02.11 at 5:35 am

Chicagorilla

@DIME

So does Javaris Crittenton not get an invite to the all-GA team? his game is straight Mur…. uh yeah never mind. I think he’s busy.

@Big Is,
I think these games are being put on for a reason. I think its some sort of subliminal shot at the owners that the players could survive without them. Or something like that. I just find it odd that they never played this many charity games before. Or maybe it was just everyone seeing Durant and JWall going off and wanted to join in the fun.

about the game
I watched the end of the first half and most of the 2nd half. I was going back n forth between Wisc vs NEB, Russell Wilson (#16 QB for Wisc) is a beast. Anyway, the game wasn’t all that fun to watch but I have to give props to John Wall for some impressive dunks. The around the back dunk was probably the sickest. So sick in fact, that i kept confusing him with JR Smith. Wall also had a 360, an off the back wall-bounce oop to himself, and a couple one handed spikes where his head was nearing the rim. Kid was showing out.

Two of the sickest passes were finsihed off by Durant I think. A bounce pass Alley oop from Steph Curry and another Bounce pass oop from either JWall or JR Smith. That’s why they need to have a couple AND 1 guards in the games.

@DIME
Speaking of AND1 guards, Can we somehow get Hot Sauce to play with the All-GA team? Sizzle with Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, and Derrick Favors at his disposal on the break… could be trouble.

10.02.11 at 8:59 am

Skeeter McGee

I used to play hoops with Wilson, who was a stud at that sport as well as baseball and, ofcourse, football, and I honestly thought he’d be a good player, but not Heisman candidate-esque… Putting the 804 on the map once again, though!

10.02.11 at 10:35 am

jzsmoove

Purchasing the Phoenix Suns was no stupid buy by any means. Whats stupid is Sarver purchasing the Suns for an inflated $400M price tag and then expecting a ROI (return on investment) absolutely right after the fact from a team that just peaked. No surprise here actually. And there you have why THIS owner is crying foul.

10.02.11 at 12:20 pm

Drink the Haterade

Metta World Peace has been talking on twitter about how his squad will take on anyone’s squad in streetball.

10.02.11 at 12:24 pm

nba jerseys

Going the same way as the NFL lockout, you never know who has said what. The players, owners and NBA just need to put there ego’s to one side and get the lock out finished.

10.02.11 at 12:34 pm

Big Island

Beib – I read that about the finger wag, and honestly it made Wade look like an idiot. That’s a line you use when you’re 16 talking shit. That’s why I need to know some back story. Was Wade just an ass? Stern being all dick? Usually, in my experience, the guy who yells first is the guy who has run out of points to make so they start making them louder.

10.02.11 at 1:08 pm

Chicagorilla

@Big Is

I agree, I think Wade got beside himself and it sounded like the other players did too, as D Fish had to stop them from leaving the room. When debating or arguing, the one thing you can’t do is get emotional. Once you get heated like that, it messes with your thinking process. You end up looking like a teenage girl. This is why some of these guys need more education. Instead of Wade, I would prefer guys like Shane Battier, Tim Duncan, Antwan Jamison, and Kirk Hinrich at the negotiating table.

Shit, Im gone my Bears are not starting this game off right, letting Steve Smith and Deangelo Williams kill them.

10.02.11 at 1:53 pm

douglalr

wow look at all the critics of the players. Let’s look at it like this…first pretend the players weren’t black. billionaires vs athletes, millionaires or not, with 4 year degrees at best…who would you take? Billy Hunter has years of experience and degrees a mile long still lost 4% in his negotiations with nothing to show for it. Would it have been better if Wade stuck up his middle at Stern while giving an intellectually cogent response? It’s always been considered poor form point your finger at opponent during a debate. Stop with the double standards…when the Lakers owner got a DWI it was boys being boys, but when a player does it, he’s stupid and deserves to lose everything he has. Someone needs to stand up to owners to minimize the damage…the article said Michael Jordan got into a screaming match much worse during the last negotiations and the players ended up making a killing. You can an argue that just by yelling (see tea party)…look at nearly every article written…they all say the players will buckle after the 1st missed check…no one thinks that now right?
When everyone was growing up they envisioned being a player, but as they get older we only see things from the owner’s perspective. I have a daughter that might turn out to be pretty good, so I’m trying to remember what it was like when I lied to myself and thought I would be a player

I dont think everyone is jumping on the players. read Austins article about racism and the lockout and you’ll see many of us showing support for the players. I think most of us relate more to the players anyway because at some point they were in the same position we are/were in. Owners were generally brought up with the money they already have, excluding Mark Cuban (website) and Paul Allen (Apple) that i know of. But even those guys are far removed from the days were they weren’t millionaires, let alone well off.

That being said, You don’t win an argument by being emotional. Just because Jordan yelled, don’t think it was all gravy for him. He eventually went to work and play for that Organization who then f^ked him over after he came out of retirement and played two years for them. So did he win in the end? no.

While it may seem cool that DWade stood up to the evil Stern, that was probably the dumbest thing he could have done. His career could take a bad turn after this. All those traveling violations, fouls on defense, foul calls for him, and whining to the refs. Gone. Stern could basically ruin he and LBJs chances at getting a chip, he’s an evil troll like that.
I saw the post-meeting interview, and Stern had a look on his face. Here is what i believe was going through his head
“That MFer Wade gonna pop shit to me? To me?!?!? After all i’ve done for that ungrateful f^ker. He should be kissing the tip of my d!^k. Some balls he has, standing up yelling at me, and calling me by my Gov name. He better since his $5 ass down before i make change! Dammit, i should have said that to him in the meeting…”

10.02.11 at 7:27 pm

Big Island

Doug – I honestly stopped reading your comment once you said “first pretend the players weren’t black”. Sorry, I just can’t deal with that. You are negotiation a deal that is worth billions of dollars. If you can’t keep your cool then you don’t belong there. When Rafael Palmeiro wagged his finger during the steroid bs for baseball, did anyone flip out and scream “I’m not your kid!!!”? No. Do that shit on the court. It shows that Wade has no clue how that type of negotiation works. Honestly, if I were to bite on your race stance, it would just add support for the owners. The first time things get heated you scream and yell? The best you can do is “I’m not your kid!”? What’s next? “Your mom wants a 50/50 split.”? Come on.

10.02.11 at 8:49 pm

First & Foremost

I still believe the players have no leverage in this deal. Okay, fine play overseas. The only way to prove you are serious about sticking it to the NBA would be to sign a multi-year NO OPT OUT clause. Instead by making sure the world knows they have an opt out clause, it the players look like the guy who was brutally dumped by a girl a he liked, attempts to find other girls but when that first girl wants to get back he drops everything and runs back to her saying, “I know I messed up but things will be different now.”

Games for charity is good public perception. “Hey look at those guys playing for fun and raising money for charity. They aren’t millionaire brats at all.” Nov 1st rolls around, “Hey look at those guys playing untelevised games in front of like 3k people. Man, that 6’8 guy can really dunk, over, and over, and over, and over, and over again when no one plays defense. Bastards.”

Of course the superstars can miss a whole season. They make money elsewhere: Reality TV, endorsement deals, and the occasional illegal substance operation. The battle is with the other 370 players. Let those guys start missing checks or working at Regency Furniture Showroom.

The owners will patiently wait until the lower rung of players starts grumbling. Eventually doubt will creep in. Any word yet on the definitive meaning of Basketball Related Income? What is/isn’t included?

10.02.11 at 10:28 pm

jayb

first off this is stern’s fault. owners need to understand that hoops does not work like football. no matter how you dice it the league from a marketing and rev generating standpoint revolve around 8 teams and 10 players rest is window dressing. owners that bought in at the top like the tech bubble. that is their problem but there should be some rev sharing and it should be worked out or should have been worked out b4 meeting with the players. the owners cant just stick it all on the players on BRI cause some owners cant money manage. that is my 2 cents and that is fact..period!